Allegra

Allegra is a prescription antihistamine that is prescribed to people who suffer from “seasonal allergies”, primarily an allergy to pollen. This is commonly known as hay fever. It is made of fexofenadine and pseudoephedrine. It does not make me drowsy like other antihistamines do. This is the primary reason that people use Allegra.

It is expensive. The price is about $1 to $2 per pill if you do not have health insurance. I am lucky enough to have health insurance. I get 180 pills for $24 through my mail order pharmacy.

It works. This drug has made all the difference to me when it is allergy time. I can go outside and not sneeze constantly. I can see instead of rubbing at my red, itchy eyes.

Allegra is an effective antihistamine. However, Allegra D is nearly worthless. Allegra D is 60 mg fexofenadine combined with a time released dose of pseudoephedrine. The problem is, a 60 mg fexofenadine dose only reduces histamine levels when applied directly to cells. For the average person, it takes around 160 mg for the chemical to work when actually ingested.

Thus, one must consume 3 Allegra D's to make fexofenadine produce anything noticable, thereby also tripling the dose of pseudoephedrine. This will certainly cause many nasty side effects (anxiety, increased heart rate, and a nasty crash when the stimulant effects wear off). In other words, the drug companies messed up the ratios when combining these two chemicals, rendering the medication impractical for its intended use.